Related Documents Summary of Republican Alternative Health Care plan

Having spent the past nine months developing a comprehensive health care reform package, Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) today introduced the Common Sense Health Care Reform and Accountability Act.  The legislation will serve as the Republican alternative to the health care bill crafted by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.  Twenty-one of Camp’s colleagues co-sponsored the bill, including Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA).

“Republicans listened to the American people who have been saying loud and clear: lower health care costs,” said Camp, the lead author of the legislation. “This bill will significantly reduce health care premiums, guarantee those with pre-existing conditions have access to affordable health care and increase the number of insured Americans. I am particularly proud to say this bill will reduce premiums for small businesses and their employees by up to 10 percent, and that we did it without increasing taxes, with government mandates and without increasing the deficit. In fact, this bill will reduce the deficit by $68 billion.”

The GOP health care bill will:

• Lower health care premiums – according to Congressional Budget Office data premiums for a family purchasing insurance on their own and not through their employer would be $5,000 less than under the Democrat plan.
• Establish Universal Access Programs to guarantee access to affordable care for those with pre-existing conditions and make it illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage to those who had prior insurance.
• Implement lawsuit reform to end junk lawsuits, saving taxpayers $54 billion.
• Prevent insurers from unjustly cancelling a policy or instituting annual or lifetime spending caps.
• Encourage Small Business Health Plans so these employers could get some of the same benefits and cost reductions larger employers enjoy.
• More than double the wellness incentives, providing up to a 50% premium rebate for those who adopt healthier lifestyles.
• Allow Americans to buy insurance across state lines.

The Republican bill avoids several controversial aspects of the Democrats bill.  Under Camp’s health care reform bill, taxpayer dollars could not be used to pay for abortions and illegal immigrants would be barred from receiving taxpayer subsidies.  

In contrast to the Pelosi bill, the Republican alternative includes no tax increases and spent far less than the Democrats’ $1 trillion plan.  The bill introduced by Camp would spend only $61 billion, but would be completely offset and reduce the deficit by $68 billion.  Camp noted it was important to do this without raising taxes, especially when the national unemployment rate spiked to 10.2 percent and Michigan’s remained above 15 percent.  Using the methodology developed by Dr. Christina Romer, President Obama’s top economic advisor, the level of taxation in the Democrats’ bill could eliminate another 5 million American jobs.

“That level of taxation just isn’t sustainable,” said Camp.   “How are we going to create jobs with all those new taxes?  How would employers be able to reinvest?  Health care reform should lower costs without raising taxes, and that is what the Republican bill does.”

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